BEIRUT — The Syrian government blocked a Red Cross convoy Friday from delivering badly needed food, medical supplies and blankets to a rebellious neighborhood of Homs cut off by a monthlong siege, and activists accused regime troops who overran the shattered district of execution-style killings and a scorched-earth campaign.

Humanitarian conditions in the former rebel stronghold of Baba Amr have been described as catastrophic, with extended power outages, shortages of food and water, and no medical care for the sick and wounded.

British Prime Minister David Cameron called Homs "a scene of medieval barbarity."

Syrian state TV showed burned-out and destroyed buildings in Baba Amr, a western neighborhood of Homs, which was covered with a blanket of fresh snow.

Syrian government forces took control of Baba Amr on Thursday after rebels fled the district under constant bombardment that activists said killed hundreds of people since early February. The Syrian regime has said it was fighting "armed gangs" in Baba Amr, and had vowed to "cleanse" the neighborhood.

"It is unacceptable that people who have been in need of emergency assistance for weeks have still not received any help," said Jakob Kellenberger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The Red Cross said it had received permission from the government of President Bashar Assad on Thursday to enter Baba Amr, on the western side of Homs, and a convoy of seven trucks with 15 tons of humanitarian aid was poised to do so, but authorities then blocked their access. There was no explanation from the government about the change.

"We are staying in Homs tonight in the hope of entering Baba Amr in the very near future," Kellenberger said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Syria to give humanitarian workers immediate access to people who desperately need aid.

"The images which we have seen in Syria are atrocious," said Ban. "It's totally unacceptable, intolerable. How, as a human being, can you bear this situation?"

U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has been trying, without success, to get permission from the Syrian government to visit, and Ban said Assad's regime should let her into the country to assess the situation without delay.

British photographer Paul Conroy, who was wounded by shelling in Baba Amr and trapped there for several days until he escaped, told Britain's Sky News that thousands of people were still in Homs, "living in bombed-out wrecks with children six to a bed, rooms full of people waiting to die." He said they had no electricity or water and only meager supplies of food.

"It's not a war. It's a massacre – indiscriminate massacre of men, women and children," he told the broadcaster. "It's snowing there now and these people can't make fires."

Bassel Fouad, a Syrian activist who fled to Lebanon from Baba Amr, said a colleague there told him Friday that Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen known as shabiha were conducting house-to-house raids.

"The situation is worse than terrible inside Baba Amr," Fouad said. "Shabiha are entering homes and setting them on fire."

His colleague said the gunmen lined 10 men up early Friday and shot them to death in front of a government cooperative that sells subsidized food. Syrian forces were detaining anyone over the age of 14 in the three-story building, he added.

"They begin at the start of a street and enter and search house after house," he said. "Then they start with another street."

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said it had received reports of 10 people slain in front of a co-op and called on the Red Cross team heading to Homs to investigate claims by residents the building is being used a prison. Another group, the Local Coordination Committees, said 14 were killed.

The claims could not be independently verified. Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in Geneva that the agency had received unconfirmed reports of "a particularly grisly set of summary executions" involving 17 people in Baba Amr after government forces entered.

Colville said his office was seeking to confirm the reports and called on both government and rebel forces to refrain from all forms of revenge attacks.

Syria has a fragile mix of ethnic groups including Sunnis, Shiites, Christians and the minority Alawite sect, to which Assad and the ruling elite belong. Homs, the country's third-largest city, has emerged as a key battleground and has seen an alarming rise in sectarian tensions and reprisal killings.

The European Union committed itself to document war crimes in Syria to set the stage for a "day of reckoning" for the country's leadership, in the way that former Yugoslav leaders were tried for war crimes in the 1990s by a special U.N. tribunal.

EU leaders in Brussels condemned Assad's regime for its nearly yearlong crackdown on an uprising that began with mostly peaceful protests but has veered toward civil war, with Syrian forces firing heavy artillery against civilians. The U.N. has estimated that more than 7,500 people have been killed, while activists put the death toll at over 8,000.

"We will make sure – as we did in Serbia – that there is a day of reckoning for those who are responsible," said Cameron, who accused the Assad regime of "butchering its own people."

"It is very important that we set out the war crimes that effectively are being committed, that we write them down, we take the photographic evidence, we bring it together and ... make sure that the day of reckoning will come," he told reporters.

The EU leaders pledged to step up sanctions against the Damascus regime "as long as the violence and human rights abuses continue." They again called on Assad to resign.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said his country is closing its embassy in Syria, a day after two French journalists – one of them wounded – escaped to Lebanon after being trapped for days in Baba Amr for nine days. Britain and the United States have already closed their embassies.

Russia, a staunch ally of Syria, blasted the West for backing the opposition, with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin calling for both the rebels and the government forces to pull out of besieged cities to end the bloodshed.

"Do they want Assad to pull out his forces so the opposition moves right in?" Putin said at a meeting with Western newspaper editors in remarks on state TV. "Is it a balanced approach?"

Sarkozy greeted Edith Bouvier, a journalist for Le Figaro, and William Daniels, a photographer, after they flew to a military airport in Villacoublay, France, from Beirut.

Bouvier was taken off the plane on a stretcher. She sustained several fractures to a leg during a rocket attack on Feb. 22 that killed two Western journalists – American-born reporter Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik – and wounded Conroy, who was spirited out of Syria. Spanish reporter Javier Espinosa also was smuggled out.

Red Cross spokesman Bijan Farnoudi told The Associated Press that the organization has the bodies of Colvin and Ochlik and was taking them to Damascus. Activist videos posted online Thursday purported to show the burials of Colvin and Ochlik in Baba Amr this week. The Syrian government news agency said the bodies were exhumed after Baba Amr fell so they could be repatriated. But in an obviously erroneous report, it said Espinosa's body was among them, even though he appeared on international TV shows Friday, detailing his escape.

Activists said protesters took to the streets in towns elsewhere across Syria Friday, with security forces unleashing tear gas and gunfire, and making mass arrests.

The Observatory said 10 people were killed in the town of Rastan near Homs when a mortar shell landed near marchers. The LCC said 16 were killed in the same event, among 65 reported dead nationwide.

Amateur video posted online by activists showed a protest in Rastan of about 200 youths singing and flashing the "V" sign for victory until a gunshot sent them fleeing. The video showed gruesome images, including a bloodied corpse slumped in front of a shop and a severed head in a pool of blood.

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Associated Press writers Frank Jordans in Geneva, Elaine Ganley in Paris, Albert Aji in Damascus, Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Anita Snow at the United Nations, and Robert Wielaard in Brussels contributed reporting.

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In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad casts his ballot next to his wife Asma at a polling station during a referendum on the new constitution, in Damascus, Syria, on Sunday Feb. 26, 2012. Syrians began voting on a new draft constitution aimed at quelling the country's uprising by ending the ruling Baath Party's five-decade domination of power, but the opposition announced a boycott and clashes were reported across the country. (AP Photo/SANA)

A boy cuts wood in Kafar Taharim, north Syria, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012. The town has been under the control of the Free Syrian Army for the past month, and people continue a normal life due to the lack of combat with government military forces. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A woman walks with children in Kafar Taharim, north Syria, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012. The town of Kafar Taharim is under control of the Free Syrian Army for the past month, and people continue a normal life due to the lack of combat with government military forces. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Khacem Abdel Luhab, officer of the Free Syrian Army smokes next to his machine gun before attending a demonstration against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's regime in Kafar Taharim, northern Syria, Friday, Feb. 24., 2012. In Tunis, the United States, Europe and Arab countries are set to back a proposal for Syria's president to step aside and allow in humanitarian assistance to end a brutal crackdown against opponents. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

6-months old Maher, laughs as the child is placed to pose with a machine gun placed by supporters of the Free Syrian Army, inside a house near Idlib, Syria, Thursday, Feb. 23., 2012. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

In this Thursday Feb. 23, 2012 photo, Syrian rebels gather in front of the remains of a burnt military vehicle belonging to Syrian government forces destroyed by Syrian rebels during a clashes at Khaldiyeh neighborhood in Homs province, Syria. (AP Photo)

In this Thursday Feb. 23, 2012 photo, Syrian rebels stand in front of the remains of a burnt military vehicle belonging to Syrian government forces destroyed by Syrian rebels during clashes at Khaldiyeh neighborhood in Homs province, Syria. (AP Photo)

In this Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 citizen journalism image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and accessed on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012, houses are seen damaged by Syrian government forces shelling in Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria)

In this Wednesday Feb. 22, 2012 photo, a Syrian rebel aims his rifle inside a classroom at a school in Deir Baalbeh neighborhood in Homs province, Syria. (AP Photo)

This combo shows a photo of American journalist Marie Colvin, left, and one of French photographer Remi Ochlik. The two journalists were killed Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 by Syrian government shelling of the opposition stronghold of Homs, France's government said. (AP Photo)

A still image taken from Turkish news crew video filmed Wednesday Feb. 22, 2012, showing the location where two western journalists were killed in the immediate aftermath of shelling by Syrian government forces that allegedly killed two Western journalists in the besieged city of Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/A Haber)

A still image taken from a Turkish news crew video filmed Wednesday Feb. 22, 2012, showing the Sunday Times business card of US war correspondent Marie Colvin being held and filmed by a Turkish film crew, during the immediate aftermath of shelling by Syrian government forces that allegedly killed two Western journalists in the besieged city of Homs, Syria. A French photojournalist and a prominent American war correspondent working for a British newspaper were killed Wednesday as Syrian forces intensely shelled the opposition stronghold of Homs. (AP Photo/A Haber)

This image from amateur video made available by Shaam News Network purports to show Paul Conroy of the Sunday Times, left, and Edith Bouvier of Le Figaro in a makeshift clinic in Homs, Syria, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2012. An amateur video shows the two injured journalists in a makeshift clinic, lying on two separate beds. The French journalist, Bouvier had her left leg tied from the thigh down in a cast. A doctor in the video explains that she needs emergency medical care. Conroy appears in the video and the doctors say he has deep gashes in his left leg. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via Associated Press Television News)

In this Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 citizen journalism image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and accessed on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, Syrian student protesters chant slogans, during a demonstration against Syrian President Bashar Assad, at the Aleppo University's Square, in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria. President Bashar Assad's regime escalated attacks on rebel bases elsewhere, with helicopter gunships strafing areas in the northwest, activists said. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO

In this Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 citizen journalism image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and accessed on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, flames rise from a house from Syrian government shelling, at Baba Amr neighborhood in Homs province, Syria. A French photojournalist and a prominent American war correspondent working for a British newspaper were killed Wednesday as Syrian forces intensely shelled the opposition stronghold of Homs. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO

In this Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 photo, Syrian girls play on top of a destroyed Syrian riot police tank at Bayada neighborhood in Homs province, Syria. (AP Photo)

In this Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 citizen journalism image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and accessed on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012, a destroyed Syrian military tank is seen in front of a Syrian rebels checkpoint in Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria)

In this Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 citizen journalism image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and accessed on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012, black smoke rises into the air from Syrian government shelling, at Baba Amr neighborhood in Homs province, Syria. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria)

In this Monday, Feb. 20, 2012 citizen journalism image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and accessed on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, a damaged home is seen from Syrian government forces shelling, at Baba Amr neighborhood in Homs province, Syria. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria)

In this Monday, Feb. 20, 2012 citizen journalism image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and accessed on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, a market is seen destroyed from Syrian government forces shelling, at Baba Amr neighborhood in Homs province, Syria. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria)

In this Monday, Feb. 20, 2012 citizen journalism image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and accessed on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, houses are seen destroyed from Syrian government forces shelling, at Baba Amr neighborhood in Homs province, Syria. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria)

One of three Syrian injured men who were wounded by shelling at Baba Amr neighborhood in the Syrian province of Homs, lies on his hospital bed as he receives treatment, in the eastern town of Chtoura, in Bekaa valley, Lebanon, on Monday Feb. 20, 2012. Lebanese security officials said at least three wounded Syrians were brought for treatment in the eastern town of Chtoura. (AP Photo/Samer Husseini)

This Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012 image taken from amateur video made available by the Shaam News Network Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012, shows a man cradling his son, who was purportedly killed by Syrian government shelling in Homs Syria. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network)

In this Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012 citizen journalism image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and accessed on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012, flames leap the air from a car and building bombed by the Syrian government forces shelling, in Baba Amr neighborhood in Homs province, central Syria. As Syrian forces have stepped up their assault on rebellious cities, President Bashar Assad ordered a referendum on a new constitution that would create a multiparty system in a country that has been ruled by his autocratic family dynasty for 40 years. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO

In this Feb. 18, 2012 citizen journalism image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and accessed on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012, anti-Syrian regime mourners carry the coffins of three protesters according to Syrian activists that were killed by the Syrian security forces during a demonstration, at Mazzeh district in Damascus, Syria. Syrian security forces fired live rounds and tear gas Saturday at thousands of people marching in a funeral procession that turned into one of the largest protests in Damascus since the 11-month uprising against President Bashar Assad began. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria)

In this Feb. 18, 2012 citizen journalism image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and accessed on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012, the dead body of anti-Syrian regime protester is seen wrapped by the Syrian revolution flag and according to Syrian activists that was killed by the Syrian security forces during a demonstration, at Mazzeh district in Damascus, Syria. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria)

In this citizen journalism image provide by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria, anti-Syrian regime protesters, hold an Arabic banner reads:"Homs is the city of the orphan Syrian revolution," as they march during a demonstration against Syrian President Bashar Assad, at Dael village in Daraa province, south Syria, on Friday Feb. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria)

This Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012 image from amateur video made available by Shaam News Network, purports to show a Syrian military tank in Daraa, Syria. Syrian troops intensively shelled rebel-held neighborhoods in the restive central city of Homs, on Friday and killed at least five people, activists said. Britain and France urged the opposition to unite and said it needs more international support to resist the deadly government crackdown. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via APTN)

In this citizen journalism image provide by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria, anti-Syrian regime protesters, hold banners and shout slogans during a demonstration against Syrian President Bashar Assad, at Binsh village in Idlib province, north Syria, on Friday Feb. 17, 2012. The Arabic banners from right to left read:"God is great, No God only God and Mohammed is prophet of the God, The popular resistance, Free people of Binsh". (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria)

Two of three Syrian injured men who were wounded from the shelling at Baba Amr neighborhood in the Syrian province of Homs, on their hospital beds as they receive treatment, in the eastern town of Chtoura, in Bekaa valley, Lebanon, on Monday Feb. 20, 2012. Lebanese security officials said at least three wounded Syrians were brought for treatment in the eastern town of Chtoura. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the wounded came from the Baba Amr attacks. (AP Photo/Samer Husseini)

This image from amateur video made available by Shaam News Network on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012, purports to show smoke filling the air near a mosque in Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via APTN) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL. TV OUT

This image from amateur video made available by Shaam News Network on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012, purports to show Syrians chanting slogans during a demonstration in Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via APTN) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL. TV OUT

This image from amateur video made available by Shaam News Network on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012, purports to show a Syrian military tank in Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via APTN) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL. TV OUT

This image from amateur video made available by Shaam News Network on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012, purports to show a Syrians running in Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via APTN) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL. TV OUT

In this citizen journalism image provide by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria, a damaged house from the Syrian government forces shelling at Baba Amr neighborhood in Homs province, Syria, Wednesday Feb. 8, 2012. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO

In this citizen journalism image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria, a damaged house from the Syrian government forces shelling at Baba Amr neighborhood in Homs province, Syria, Wednesday Feb. 8, 2012. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO

In this citizen journalism image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria, wreckage is seen inside a damaged room from the Syrian government forces shelling at Baba Amr neighborhood in Homs province, Syria, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO

This satellite image provided by DigitalGlobe, taken Feb. 5, 2012, shows smoke rising from some buildings at the center of the city of Homs, Syria. In Homs, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 53 people were killed in the shelling Wednesday Feb. 8, 2012 of the neighborhoods of Bayadah, Baba Amr, Khaldiyeh and Karm el-Zeytoun. (AP Photo/DigitalGlobe) MANDATORY CREDIT; www.digitalglobe.com

This image taken from video filmed by an independent cameraman and made available Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012 shows a dead man carried outside in a funeral procession in Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/APTN)

This image taken from video filmed Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012 by an independent cameraman shows women and children huddled together in a basement in a building in Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/APTN)

In this undated citizen journalism image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and accessed on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012, a man weeps as he sits next to a man who was purportedly killed in shelling by Syrian government forces, Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO

This image from amateur video made available by Shaam News Network on Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, purports to show a doctor treating a wounded man inside a hospital in Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via APTN) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL. TV OUT

This image from amateur video made available by Shaam News Network on Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, purports to show a severely wounded man inside a hospital in Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via APTN) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL. TV OUT

This image taken from video filmed over the past several days by an independent cameraman and made available Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012 shows a grieving relative kissing a dead man on the back of a truck in Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/APTN)

This image taken from video filmed over the past several days by an independent cameraman and made available Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012 shows an injured man leaving hospital being helped by friends on the street in the Bab Amr neighbourhood of Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/APTN)

This image taken from video filmed over the past several days by an independent cameraman and made available Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012 shows bodies wrapped in white sheets loaded on the pickup truck outside hospital in the Bab Amr neighbourhood of Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/APTN)

This image taken from video filmed over the past several days by an independent cameraman and made available Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012 shows medical staff trying to help injured a hospital in the Bab Amr neighbourhood of Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/APTN)

This image taken from video filmed over the past several days by an independent cameraman and made available Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012 shows an injured man being carried on a stretcher and another man on the floor in the corridor of a hospital in the Bab Amr neighbourhood of Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/APTN)

This image taken from video filmed over the past several days by an independent cameraman and made available Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012 shows men standing by a hole in the wall, one of them aiming a gun through the opening in Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/APTN)

This image taken from video filmed over the past several days by an independent cameraman and made available Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012 another member of the group that calls itself Free Syrian Army, aiming his gun in a building in Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/APTN)

This image taken from video filmed over the past several days by an independent cameraman and made available Tuesday Feb. 7, 2012 a member of the group that calls itself Free Syrian Army firing a gun in Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/APTN)